The Stem Cell Network is pleased to announce that the Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Director of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, Dr. Guy Sauvageau, has received the Till and McCulloch Award. The honour, granted by the Stem Cell Network at its Annual General Meeting held November 2-4 in Montreal, recognizes the year's most influential peer-reviewed article by a Canadian stem cell researcher.
Dr. Sauvageau is known for his groundbreaking work in the transplant of bone marrow-derived stem cells and in the study of the molecular mechanism involved in the self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells. Earlier this year, Dr. Sauvageau and his team were the first to successfully multiply large quantities of these cells in vitro. Published in the prestigious scientific journal Cell, this breakthrough is instrumental in accelerating the development of novel treatments for patients waiting for a bone marrow transplant.
As one of the founding members of IRIC, Dr. Sauvageau leads a team of 25 internationally recognized investigators, including 15 Canada Research chairs and 2 private chairs, entirely dedicated to uncovering the causes of cancer and developing effective anticancer therapies. The Institute pursues research initiatives with elite collaborators in leading research centres across North America and abroad. In 2008, Guy Sauvageau initiated the creation of IRICoR, a Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research of the Government of Canada. As such, he played a key role in setting up one of the first academia-based drug discovery chains which paves the way for innovative anticancer drug commercialization partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry.
“Dr. Sauvageau is not only an exceptional researcher in the biology of blood stem cells but also a passionate leader with a mission to conquer cancer within our lifetime. His latest findings further demonstrate his innovative work, and with the Till and McCulloch Award, we are pleased to acknowledge Dr. Sauvageau's major contribution to the field of stem cell and cancer research,” says Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Scientific Director of the Stem Cell Network.
In addition to his executive duties at the head of IRIC, Guy Sauvageau leads the Molecular Genetics of Stem Cells Laboratory and is full professor with the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine. He holds the Canada Research Chair in the Molecular Genetics of Normal and Cancer Cells and also does bone marrow transplants at Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.
In 2005, the Stem Cell Network established the Till and McCulloch Award in honour of Canadians Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, whose pioneering work established the field of stem cell research. The award is granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Stem Cell Network at which the recipient presents the Till and McCulloch Lecture.
On the Web:
